Pretty as a picture

It’s as simple as that. The Giants are back on top of the NL West for the first time since April 26 after beating the Padres 4-3 Saturday night at the Park-by-the-Bay to extend their season-high winning streak to five games and move one-half game ahead of San Diego.

Dino Vournas / Associated Press

A meeting of old and new, as Shea Hillenbrand and Pedro Feliz congratulate each other after scoring on Eliezer Alfonzo’s 2-run single in the second inning.

It was a combination of old and new faces that helped do the deed. Jason Schmidt won his first game since June 16 and ended a seven-start winless streak; Armando Benitez (heavily criticized by many just a few weeks ago) converted his seventh straight save attempt; Barry Bonds returned to the lineup after getting hit in the knee on Friday night and went 1-for-3 with a single and his 81st walk. It was his 32nd intentional walk which isn’t bad for a guy who is hitting .252 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs; and newcomer Shea Hillenbrand made his debut at first base with a single and a run scored.

About the only bad news was Moises Alou had to leave when he strained his left hamstring running out a single in the fifth inning. Now that the Giants are on a roll, it would be sad to see Alou go down again.

Maybe it’s the weather. The hot streak has come during a rare San Francisco heat wave, and it was 86 degrees at the start of the game. Here’s hoping the Giants don’t cool off again when the weather cools down as well. But after Sunday’s game, they’re headed back East where the weather has been just as hot, only with more humidity.

Pennant fever. The old rally cry is back. Who cares that it came on just one hot day in a city where summers are usually known as the “coldest winter I’ve ever spent?”